News Archive

Signal for Animal Rights and an Enlightened Culture of Debate [2]

gbs defends the award to Paola Cavalieri and Peter Singer

2011/05/31

Markus Kurth, spokesman for disability policy at Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, criticized the award of the Giordano Bruno Stiftung's ethics prize to the initiators of the Great Ape Project, Paola Cavalieri and Peter Singer, as a "false signal". The gbs directors object: The awarding of the ethics prize is "exactly the right signal at the right time" - not only to raise awareness about the concerns of the animal rights movement, but also to defend the "principles of an enlightened culture of debate".

Is the Giordano Bruno Stiftung "Anti-Disabled"? [3]

Statement by gbs directorate

2011/05/30

Prior to the award ceremony for the initiators of the Great Ape Project, sporadic accusations occurred that the gbs represented "positions hostile towards the disabled". Not only referring to the "reputation" of Peter Singer, who was awarded the "Ethik-Preis der Giordano-Bruno-Stiftung" alongside Paola Cavalieri for his animal rights activism, but also to the "PGD expert opinion of the gbs Ethics Commission", which recommends a liberal legal regulation.

On the Debate Surrounding Peter Singer [4]

Statement by Michael Schmidt-Salomon

2011/05/26

The decision to award philosopher Peter Singer the "Ethik-Preis der Giordano-Bruno-Stiftung" in Germany was met with incomprehension or even indignation by some people. Didn't Peter Singer encourage the killing of disabled children? Or was this just a bad misunderstanding? Michael Schmidt-Salomon tries to shed light on the issues.

Ethics Prize for Paola Cavalieri and Peter Singer [5]

Ceremony for the initiators of the Great Ape Project at the German National Library in Frankfurt

2011/05/13

The Italian philosopher Paola Cavalieri and the Australian philosopher Peter Singer receive the "Ethik-Preis der Giordano-Bruno-Stiftung" endowed with 10,000 euro. The award ceremony will take place on Friday, 3 June 2011, at the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main. Cavalieri and Singer are honoured in recognition of their commitment to animal rights, in particular the initiation of the Great Ape Project (GAP).

gbs Ethics Commission Recommends Admission of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis [6]

2011/02/16

As a general rule, all people who choose the arduous path of artificial insemination should have the possibility of PGD. This emerges from a statement by the Giordano Bruno Stigtung's ethics committee, which was delivered today to the members of the German Ethics Council.

Slow Separation of Church and Judiciary [7]

gbs criticizes religious influence in German courts

2011/02/02

German courts should maintain a greater distance from religious communities. This is the result of an "open letter" by the Giordano Bruno Stiftung (gbs) to the supreme judicial authorities of the country. The letter was sent in response to an "expert discussion" between judges of the Federal Constitutional Court (BVG) and a delegation of the German Bishops' Conference that took place in January 2011.

"A Fearless Enlightener": Eulogy to gbs Adviser Prof. Dr. Franz Buggle [8]

2011/01/21

Franz Buggle is dead. The well-known developmental psychologist and religious critic died last week in Au near Freiburg. A eulogy by Michael Schmidt-Salomon.

"More Net Worth, More Freedom, More Solidarity": The "Year of Leaving the Church" Has Begun [9]

2010/11/29

With the slogan "More net worth, more freedom, more solidarity" the "Year of Leaving the Church" began on November 11. The campaign, in which the gbs participates among others, aims to clarify that people who leave the church are by no means free riders in the welfare state. For only about 10% of the church tax is spent on public social purposes.

Call for Boycott: Critics of Religion Call for the Isolation of the Iranian Regime [10]

2010/10/28

The protest organized by Mina Ahadi (Central Council of Ex-Muslims Germany) and Maryam Namazie (Central Council of Ex-Muslims Great Britain) against the stoning of Iranian Sakineh Ashtiani provoked worldwide reactions. At first the Iranian regime tried to keep the protest down. In a television interview with the US channel ABC, Iran's president Ahmadinejad claimed that Ashtiani had never been sentenced to death by stoning. "Murderers of people who now pretend to represent human rights" had published this "propaganda", most notably also by "someone in Germany" (Ahadi).

"100 Cities Against Stoning": gbs Supports Campaign Day on 28 August [11]

2010/08/20

43-year-old Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani from Iran, mother of two children, is sentenced to death by stoning for alleged adultery. The case has attracted international attention. Leading Western politicians (such as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) have been campaigning for Ashtiani in recent weeks.

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